Die Anforderung
by LuipaardJack
Summary: Lloyd is knocked out in the Balacruf Mausoleum. When he wakes up, everything changes. Tales of Symphonia AU.


Yes, here is...FALLOUT! _trumpets_ _blare_

Yes, it's a bit...odd, but I have a vague idea about where this goes, but it's my first "saga" story. Please, review!

* * *

They were battling against the Iapyx.

Attack after attack buffeted Lloyd's body, and he could feel his skin being cut and ripped by the gales. Small drops of blood splattered on the stone floor, and then he was suddenly lifted off his feet and smashed into a pillar.

Now, normally, Lloyd would have gotten up, shaken his head and tottered for a moment, and then gotten back into the fight.

Unfortunately, he had smashed into the pillar head first, and blood was beginning to leak from his cracked skull. He did not move as he slid down the pillar.

* * *

This did not go unnoticed by the others; a frantic Raine was the one to run over to him. Determinedly, she pulled out her staff with one hand and with the other, poured the contents of a Life Bottle over the wound. Then she closed her eyes and began to concentrate.

The soft glow of her magic began to settle over Lloyd's cracked skull like a net; it allowed her to sense the extent of the damage.

It wasn't the actual crack in his head that was life-threatening, she realized; it was the blood trickling into his brain and tearing the soft tissue that was.

Raine struggled not to panic. She could fix this. She had to.

But the flow of blood was getting stronger and stronger by the second, and in this situation, _every_ second counted.

The half-elf closed her eyes and began to heal. She did not notice the glow of Lloyd's Exsphere that pulsed in time with his heartbeat.

In this situation, every second that Lloyd was knocked out counted in changing his life forever.

* * *

"_Lloyd."_

"_Lloyd!"_

"_Lloyd Irving, wake up!"_

Lloyd snapped his eyes open - figuratively anyway, since he wasn't really in a physical manifestation.

He made a startled sound when he saw the feminine face hovering over his. He made an even more startled sound when he realized that he was floating in a black void.

With a cry, he scrambled about, somehow getting to his hands and knees.

"I wouldn't move around so much if I were you," the woman said. "It'll only make your head hurt."

"Screw it! Who the hell are you!" Then Lloyd winced as his head suddenly throbbed; he had the suspicion that the woman was giving him an 'I told you so' look.

The woman looking at him was young and pretty. Long brunette hair - the exact same shade as his - was held up with a clip. Solid brown eyes glittered underneath smoky eyelashes - also identical to his. Her high cheekbones were also disturbingly familiar.

_No way. It can't be._

The woman sighed and looked upwards. "Why me?" she asked. Then she gave him a level gaze. "I'm your mother."

Lloyd closed his eyes. "My mother. Right. Sure. And my father is Kratos?"

"I AM your mother. And I've been watching you for the past seventeen years." Anna glared at him. "Watch what you say, little boy. I was able to spank you when you were three, and I can do it now."

"It's impossible!" Lloyd snapped. "My Mom is dead!"

"I _am_ dead, Lloyd. At least, my body is."

"Hah!"

"Still don't believe me? Figures. But I guess I can't blame you; if it was me, I'd probably feel the same way.

I consciousness lives on in your Exsphere. That's how Exspheres are made, you know; by human lives. Anyway, my spirit is living on in the Exsphere, and I'm here because you need a hard shove in the right direction."

"I - that's impossible -" Or was it? He didn't know what to say or think. He couldn't wrap his mind around the concept. His mother? Alive? Well -- more like a disembodied spirit, but still. How could a consciousness live on in an Exsphere?

Then, he decided to take a leap of faith. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Your progress."

"My progress?"

"It's stagnating."

"That's not true," Lloyd said angrily. "I train all the time!"

"That's only part of your development. Listen, I don't have a lot of time, so I'll put it in small words and simple sentences: you need to learn a lot more than different ways to hack at a bush."

He was about to let out an angry reply, and then thought better of it.

"That's better. Look, I'm sorry. But you need to work on other things than your swordsmanship. Believe it or not, it WILL make you a better fighter. And you had better sort things out quick. I can't stay like this for very long."

"And why's THAT?"

"Because it takes a lot of energy for me to talk communicate you like this, AND keep the Exsphere from swallowing my consciousness for the past fourteen years. It's all I can do to talk to you, so make the most of it.

I've been gathering my energy for something like this. This is the last time that I'll be able to speak to you, unless a miracle of some sort happens - which I doubt it will."

Lloyd went pale. "You mean - you'll _die_? _Again_?"

Anna shook her head slowly. "No. I simply won't be able to do or say anything. I'll simply _exist_. And I love you far too much to let you ignore your own needs like this. I know it sounds ridiculous, but it's true."

"What would you suggest?" Lloyd's voice was waspish.

"There's a lot more to the world regeneration than just unlocking seals, boy. You had to figure out the riddles written on the wall to get here, right? Knowledge will do you better than swords will, at several points on time - especially when the Chosen dies."

"WHAT!"

"You mean you didn't know? Good heavens, child, how many classes have you slept through?"

"Let's just say I got in a lot of quality naptime."

"This isn't a game, Lloyd!"

"Sorry. But why is Colette going to die!"

"Her body is being prepared to serve as a vessel for Martel. Her spirit will die, and her body will be soulless until Cruxis implants Martel."

"But - that's insane!"

"Of course it is. Cruxis is run by a mad man."

"I -" Lloyd broke off. "Mom, isn't there any way to save Colette?"

"I'd imagine so. There usually is in this type of situation."

"That - it-"

Anna covered her eyes with one hand. The boy's faith and acceptance was touching, but the ignorance was beginning to grate. "That, my son, is a problem you'll have to solve yourself."

"But I don't know how!"

"Then learn how! LEARN, Lloyd - or else life will be so empty for you." She changed the subject. "I can understand why you're upset. But you need to concentrate on different things. The knowledge you have now isn't enough."

"Dammit, what do my academics have to do with this!"

"Everything. For example: how were you taught to use Guardian?"

"Well - basically, Kratos told us to cast our mana in an orb around our bodies."

"And you had a lot of trouble with that, right?"

"Yeeeeeees..." Lloyd dragged out the word cautiously.

"And that's because you don't know the first thing about geometry. Math is only one of the things that you need to learn. It helps you manage your mana better and you won't be tiring yourself out at all the time. 'Less is more' being the key phrase."

"But Mom," Lloyd wailed. "I HATE math!"

"That's just too bad. I don't like it either, but I can still do calculus."

"Cal-what?"

"That's something else you'll have to learn." Anna shook her head. "Lloyd, I'm not trying to be cruel; and I know that I sound ridiculous talking about it, but it's the truth."

Lloyd pressed his lips together. His eyes were downcast and when he spoke his voice was very quiet. "Mom - I'm not the smartest person. I mean...I'm an idiot. That's all I'll ever amount to. I can't even understand what Genis is saying half the time."

Anna sighed in loving exasperation. "Would it help if I told you that your father used to be like you?"

"Dad...?"

"Yes. He told me about it; he was only a bit older than you when he finally decided to get his act together. I was told that he spent five years with his head buried in books." Anna smiled at the memory.

Lloyd rocked back on his heels.

"Lloyd, if you're having trouble, then just pull your Professor to one side and ask her for help. She's a teacher; let her teach."

Her son threw up his hands. "OK, I get the point. Soon as we're out of the Mausoleum - the Mausoleum!" Lloyd's face had gone completely white. "Oh, shit, Mom! The Mausoleum! I had forgotten - but Mom, I smashed my head into that pillar -"

"A _pillar_!"

"Yeah! But I don't think the Professor or Kratos can heal something like this!"

"Lloyd, it's alright. I had been wondering..." she shook her head. "My Exsphere is doing half the healing anyway. Raine is just too weak to pull it off. Ah well; might as well go the whole hog."

Lloyd gaped at her. "You - Mom - no!"

"You just said that Kratos and Raine wouldn't be able to do it, right?"

"But Mom -"

"Lloyd, really. I'm a grown woman, and survived in a human ranch for five years; I know what I'm doing." She stood and dusted her hands. "In any case, its better that you leave. I won't be able to do it here with you watching."

Lloyd was beginning to feel dazed. He had just been given direct orders by a woman he had only been introduced to a little while ago, and here he was, being ordered out just so that he didn't have to watch her die again.

So he hugged her. He hugged her as tightly as he could, and tears suddenly sprang into his eyes. Lloyd realized numbly, that he was only a few inches shorter than her.

Anna ran her hands through his hair comfortingly. "When did you get so big?" she whispered. "You were always so small..."

Lloyd choked back the tears threatening to stream down his face.

And there was something...strange. He could feel a tugging at his... essence, he supposed you could call it. Raine was healing him with his mother's help.

"I love you Lloyd," Anna said softly. "I always will. Tell your father I forgive him..."

* * *

When Lloyd woke up, he saw a scene of utter chaos.

Kratos, like himself, had been thrown against a pillar; he now lay unconscious on the ground. Genis was staggering about, a large cut streaming blood into his eyes, and Colette was slumped against another pillar, simply too tired to move. The Iapyx hissed.

Lloyd sat up quickly - and groaned as the sudden movement sent a wave of dizziness through him. The world spun madly for a moment before his grip on Raine's arm steadied him.

"That should teach you," she said reprovingly.

Lloyd winced. "No time for that, Professor. Damn..."

How the hell were they going to get out of this one?

This was the WIND Seal. Finding the weakness for this monster wasn't going to be nearly as simple as at the Fire Seal, where Genis had ruled the room with his Water spells. He racked his brain and couldn't find any ideas, and decided to take his mother's advice and ask for help.

"Professor, what IS wind?"

"Air moving at any speed."

"And what's it caused by?"

Raine's voice took on a teacher-tone. "It's generally caused by a difference in air pressure. It flows from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure, in an attempt to equalize itself. The warmer air rises since it's at a lower pressure and is replaced by cooler air which is at a higher pressure."

Lloyd kneaded his forehead. His headache had suddenly spiked. "OK. Here's the tricky part; what stops wind?"

"In this case, it should be heat: fire."

"It can be blocked too, right?"

"Of course."

Lloyd's head pounded. He still felt dizzy, and sick, and wanted to throw up. But he couldn't. Not yet.

And whatever he was going to do, it had better be quick. The Iapyx had already focused on the swaying Genis, and seemed to be contemplating whether or not to play with him first before having him as a snack.

Just as Lloyd thought his head would explode, it came to him. _Wind falls away when it encounters cold. And it can be blocked by something solid. Wake up, Irving!_

He lumbered to his feet. His swords...

"Raine...where are my swords? I need 'em."

"Lloyd! You can't be serious!"

Lloyd's face tightened grimly. "I _am_ serious, Professor. A bit late, but serious." Something glinted at the edge of his vision - steel?

It was. An Osafune blade glinted at him.

Since quick movements caught the eye, Lloyd was very slow in moving to get his blade. In truth, very little of the slowness was a choice; he still felt the after-effects of his violent crash.

He picked up the hilt of the sword and was dismayed to find that the blade was cracked. And very badly; he doubted it would survive the fight.

Lloyd pinched the bridge of his nose. There was no helping it; he'd simply have to put the pieces back together using his father's arts, or let it be ruined and get a new pair. But now was not the time to worry about such things...

Quick looking produced his second blade - which was in even worse condition than the first.

He groaned silently.

Raine's cry of "Genis!" cut into his train of thought. Lloyd whipped his head around and swore. If he didn't act fast, then the boy would be killed by the Iapyx. He gritted his teeth. One wrong stroke and he'd be a blade short.

"DOUBLE DEMON FANG!"

The twin shockwaves mashed into the Iapyx's head. Raine had already dashed forwards, and now scooped her brother into her arms and dodged.

The Iapyx's attack shrieked past her, but the monster no longer cared. Its new target was Lloyd.

* * *

The thing was amazingly single minded, Lloyd decided as he jacked as much mileage as he could out of his weary body.

The Iapyx had been after him for the past five minutes. Normally, Lloyd would be getting his second wind by now, and would still be merrily dancing out of the monster's reach. But he had caught his second wind a long time ago, as well as his third, fourth and fifth.

And the natural order of things had been flushed down the drain when he received his concussion.

_I hate my life right about now._

One lucky step saved his life as Air Thrust passed him by. Consequently, it smashed into _another_ pillar, and the aforementioned support was knocked down.

Lloyd took the distraction as an opportunity, and ran, scrambling to Kratos' side and slumping, trembling.

His head pounded madly. He wanted nothing more than to curl up and go to sleep. He wanted the room to stop spinning. He wanted to see his mother again. But he knew that none of that was going to happen.

"Ready for one last stand?" Kratos asked.

"Not quite. I have some suggestions."

"I'm open."

"Let's have Genis use Fire attacks," Lloyd said. "Earth, too. That should be effective, right? Colette can cast Angel Feathers, and while that thing -"

"It's an Iapyx."

"Whatever. You and I can go in after it while it's distracted."

"...Amazing. A plan that might actually work. But it's going to take a lot of teamwork, and group effort. So far, that hasn't been a strength of ours."

"We'll MAKE it work."

Kratos loosened his sword. "I'll pass it on to the others. Make sure to keep out of that thing's reach and protect Colette. She's still a bit out of it."

Lloyd nodded and sped over to his blonde friend, whose eyes were still slightly fuzzy. He pressed an Orange Gel into her hand, speaking quickly in low tones. Colette absently popped the Orange Gel into her mouth and swallowed. Her eyes cleared somewhat, and she seemed to understand what Lloyd was saying.

Kratos did the same with Raine and Genis, though the amount of Orange Gels it took to restore them to proper capacity was staggering.

Lloyd popped two Apple Gels in his mouth, winced, unsheathed his ruined swords and muttered a brief prayer.

The five looked at each other. They nodded. And all hell broke loose.

* * *

"STALAGMITE!"

"SWORD RAIN!"

Lloyd leapt away after delivering the attack. He landed on the ball of his right foot, pivoted and ran off, allowing Kratos to come in and finish off with his Light Spear.

So far, Lloyd's plan seemed to be coming off pretty well; Genis had had a lot success with Icicle and Spread, and Lloyd was fairly certain that they nearly had the damn thing licked.

At this point, he made a colossal mistake, and relaxed.

The Air Thrust that came his way took him completely by surprise. Though there was a small part of his brain screaming _Guard! Guard! _But he couldn't seem to be able to move quickly enough.

Once more, Lloyd collapsed into oblivion.

* * *

When Kratos saw his son go down, he immediately knew what would happen next.

Genis stopped attacking, and Colette panicked. They both bolted towards Lloyd, and Kratos shout of, "DON'T!" did nothing to stop them.

The mercenary cursed as the Iapyx launched another Air Thrust. Genis' Force Field combined with Colette's Damage Guard was barely able to shield the three adolescents, and Kratos knew that they would not be able to stand up to another attack.

There was only one way that he could see that the monster could be beaten. He didn't like it, especially since it meant putting those three children in danger, but he simply could not see any other way.

The Iapyx drew closer and closer to the trio.

_Wait for it...wait for it..._

"Raine! Give me Sharpness!"

"SHARPNESS!"

Kratos sprinted forwards and pounced onto the Iapyx's back. The monster screeched and began twisting and turning, trying to throw him off. He held on.

He scrambled onto its neck, raised his sword, and stabbed it directly into the thing's head.

The Iapyx screeched again and disappeared, dumping Kratos unceremoniously onto his rear end.

* * *

Groggy, Lloyd's eyes opened to see Kratos' face hovering over his. Understandably, he did not react favorably.

Kratos ducked as a heavily cracked sword passed through the space where his head had been. "Nice to know you're keeping your reflexes sharp," he said sarcastically. Lloyd flushed and glared at him.

"Now's not the time for that," Raine interrupted. "Colette, the altar is reacting."

As if on cue, Lord Remiel's voice cut through the squabbling. "Chosen of Regeneration...You have done well in reaching this far. Now offer your prayers at the altar."

The blonde haired girl nodded. "...Yes!" She clasped her hands and walked forward. "Oh Goddess Martel," she whispered. "Great protector and nurturer if the earth, grant me thy strength!" Then her crystalline wings appeared, and she floated upwards to greet her father.

Remiel floated downwards. His steady gaze took in the disheveled party, and he chose not to comment. He focused on his daughter. "This is the third seal. You have done well reaching this far, Chosen One...Colette."

"...Thank you."

"Receive this blessing, the gift of angelic power from Cruxis." He raised his arms, and soft lights settled on Colette's shoulders for a moment before disappearing.

"...Y-yes, Father. Thank you."

"The next seal lies far northwest, in a place that gazes upon the center of the world. Offer your prayers at the altar in that distant land." Remiel said.

"I shall do as you say...Lord Remiel."

Remiel began to float upwards. "I will be waiting for you at the next seal, Colette...my daughter." His voice was filled with infinite tenderness as he pronounced those last two words. "The end of your journey is close. Hurry and become a true angel. Do not disappoint me..."

Colette settled and stared at the altar. "...A true angel..." she muttered. She couldn't be sure if she liked that or not.

Lloyd noticed her dismay. "What is it?"

"Ah...nothing." She turned around and smiled at him. "I was just...thinking when I become a true angel it'll be amazing."

"I wonder how many more seals there are," Genis mused aloud.

"That we don't know..." Raine trailed off.

"At any rate, all we can do is keep going," Kratos said.

They left through the transporter.

* * *

Some rapid dodging of monsters and trying not to get killed by spikes seemed to be the order of the day. Lloyd kept himself in the back of the group, as far away from Kratos as he possibly could.

This was attributed to two factors: one, being that he knew Kratos would have a lot to say about his earlier performance, and two, he wanted to think more about what his mother had told him.

Seeing her had been strange and wonderful. Now that he knew what her voice sounded like, he could identify some of the shadowy bits of his past. But they were always difficult and hard to hear, and he had stopped actively trying years ago.

_Mom...what do you want me to do? I still don't see how all that crap is supposed to help me._

Lloyd pinched the bridge of his nose. Well, he'd just have to ask the Professor for help. She was the closest thing to a field-healer they had. Surely, she would know what his mother would want.

Although, he doubted that Raine would believe him if he told her that his mother in fact lived in an Exsphere, and that the jewels were made from human lives - a notion that made his skin crawl. She would probably pass it off as a dream he had while being knocked out - or worse, laugh at him.

He was about to catch up with her and discuss the subject when an angry, "STOP!" grabbed his attention.

"...That voice..." he could feel a sweat drop form on his head.

Genis groaned. "Oh, no..."

Colette looked up.

The Assassin ran down the stairs. She looked slightly mussed, as if she had encountered some things she hadn't counted on. She stopped at the base, and glared hatefully at them. "This day has finally come. This ancient ruin shall be your graveyard..."

Either ignoring, or unaware of the drama in the speech, Colette walked forwards. "Oh, you're here, too!"

Sheena felt sweat pop out on her face. "S...stay back! Don't move! Don't touch anything!"

Colette ignored that. "Now that we've finally become friends, why do we have to fight?"

"Since when are we?..." She coughed. "I have no intention of befriending you!" She held up a set of blue cards. "Prepare yourselves!"

"Get ready," Kratos said tensely.

* * *

The fight was short and ugly. The girl summoned one of those pinwheel monsters that she always seemed to have on her, and in Lloyd's opinion it was rather overdone.

But it's always difficult to concentrate when it's smashing its pinwheel-type-thing into your already battered body. Lloyd knew that he was going to have a very uncomfortable night - provided he lived long enough to see it.

But they were throwing everything they had at this bitch; he could feel Raine's spells coaxing the last amount of stamina from his aching muscles.

They were out of Apple Gels, and Orange Gels; they didn't dare use the Mélange Gels since they would ALL need some after this was over. And every time he smashed his swords into the Guardian's form, he could feel the blades give. Soon, they would shatter and leave him weaponless. He didn't even consider using the scabbards.

Lloyd felt himself lifted off his feet for the third time that day. He swore and back-flipped without even thinking about it, performing a perfect Air Escape. He paused and grinned suddenly as he realized that accomplishment.

"Move!" Kratos pushed him to one side as Sheena attempted to Pyre Seal him from behind.

Lloyd snarled angrily.

"Sonic Thrust!" Kratos seemed about to stab her. But at the last minute he suddenly flipped his blade and whacked her solidly on the head with the flat. Sheena dropped like a stone.

Unfortunately, the Guardian was still there.

It swept forward, and Lloyd was barely able to block the sweep of its clawed hands. His blades were almost gone.

It was a miracle they had lasted this far at all; he fervently hoped that they would last for just a few more minutes. "Check this out! SWORD RAIN: ALPHA!" As he slashed upwards to complete the attack, his blades shattered.

Metal fragments flew everywhere. He closed his eyes, both to shield them from any stray pieces - and to fight back the frustrated howl that threatened to rip from his throat.

The Guardian took advantage of his distraction and knocked his to the floor. Lloyd scrambled to his feet, but was knocked down again. Ears ringing, he barely noticed Kratos' Fireballs finish off the monster.

"Did we win?" Lloyd asked dazedly.

* * *

"Lloyd Irving, can't you keep yourself in one piece?" Raine asked angrily. "First Aid!"

"Sorry Professor," Lloyd said.

He stood up slowly, grabbing the wall for support. He closed his eyes against the pain in his body. If there ever was a time he wanted to sleep, it was now...

Fate, however, seemed to hate him that way. Sheena jumped up suddenly, not seeming to notice the bruise on her temple where Kratos had hit her with his sword. "Arrgh! Why...why can't I win?"

"Goodness and love will always win!" Genis chirped.

"Shut. The hell. Up." Lloyd said. He was much too tired to think of anything else, and didn't need the corniest saying in the history of the world repeated to him.

"'Goodness'!" Sheena shrieked. "What do you mean, 'goodness'! If you're good, then I'm good as well!"

"Not you too! Everyone, stop saying corny things!"

"What do you know!" Sheena sounded slightly hysterical. "When you regenerate the world, my country will be destroyed! I won't let that happen...I swear!"

Colette frowned. "Wait. What are you talking about? If I regenerate the world everyone will be saved...right?"

"Are you stupid?" Sheena screeched. "Your country might flourish - but everyone at my home will die!" Then she ran off before they could question her further.

"Stop! Who are you? So you're not alone?" Raine shouted after her.

Lloyd kept silent. _This world? What did she mean?_

And they all left.

* * *

They were not ten feet from the entrance when Colette collapsed. She fell forwards, and Lloyd was unable to catch her. "Colette!"

"It's the Angel Toxicosis again," Raine said. "Let's hurry and let her rest."

Lloyd helped the blonde up. "Are you OK?" he asked.

Colette stood shakily. "Yes, I'm fine." She tottered forwards a few steps and suddenly fell forwards again. Lloyd's dulled reflexes allowed him only to grab the back of her shirt. He tried to help her up again, but she just lay there, staring slack-jawed into the distance, as if she saw something horrifying.

"Colette?"

She snapped her mouth shut and stood up, brushing herself off. "Heh...sorry about that - must have spaced out."

"Colette, you -" he broke off. The blonde realized that he was staring at her hand. "Colette, you're hurt!"

She blinked. "I...I am?"

"Yes! Your hand is bleeding like crazy! Doesn't it _hurt_!" Lloyd's eyes narrowed suddenly. He reached out and squeezed her hand. Blood fell off it, pooling on the flagstones.

"Lloyd, stop that!" Raine said. "You'll hurt Colette!"

"She can't even feel it, Professor," Lloyd snapped.

"I - that's not true!" Colette said. Her face was pale. "I can feel it perfectly well!"

"Hah! You didn't even flinch!" Lloyd's eyes flashed angrily. His grip on her hand tightened and her bones creaked. Normally Colette would have already snatched her hand away. But she seemed too shocked to remove it. "You haven't been eating either, now that I think about it. Or sleeping!"

Colette giggled weakly. "That's not true! I eat!"

"Barely. You even started eating foods you don't like! And I haven't seen you sleep at all. You stay up after the rest of us have gone to sleep!"

Colette's shoulders slumped. "I guess the secret's out." Her voice had a defeated quality to it.

Lloyd seemed to realize that his grip on her hand would likely break it; he dropped it like it had burned him. "Why didn't you say anything!"

Colette stared at her boots. "Well...I guess...I thought...this is what it means to be an angel. To become an angel, and regenerate the world. So, why worry about it?"

"Not eating anymore, not sleeping anymore...and now not even able to feel? That's not salvation, that's crazy! There are Chosens that have gone mad, aren't there? This must be what drove them insane!" Lloyd struggled to keep a fraying hold on his temper.

"Now isn't the time for this," Raine interrupted. "Right now, we need to set up camp until Colette is well enough to travel."

Lloyd glared at his teacher before striding out of the ruins. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt so angry.

* * *

That night, Lloyd had volunteered for the night watch. Raine had protested, but he had simply ignored her. He was still smarting from Colette's deception, and rebuffed any attempts to talk to him about it.

Finally, everyone except for Colette and himself were asleep. But Colette seemed to sense his anger and stayed well away from him.

Fortunately, this allowed Raine to talk to him freely.

"Lloyd, you shouldn't be up. You're still recovering from a concussion. Since Colette won't be sleeping, it would be better for her to watch instead."

"That's OK, Professor. I've been asleep long enough. And at least this way I can keep her company."

"You aren't even talking to her."

"I'm not talking to her because I'm angry. I'll apologize in the morning."

"Lloyd - if this is about what happened at the Wind Seal, we can talk -"

"What's there to talk about? I screwed up, and Kratos came in to save the day. Again. Business as usual." He stared into the fire. "Go to sleep, Professor." He scratched Noishe's ears gently.

Clearly, she had been dismissed. Raine returned to her bedroll with her tail between her legs.


End file.
